Educational Destination Research Articles

The Role of Commercial Diplomacy in Promoting India as a Destination for Higher Education: A Case Study of Sudan

There are several studies on the internationalization of higher Education in India. However, most of these studies are based on initiatives that have been taken up by private universities in India. Indian Embassies and Consulates (Indian Missions) around the world play an important role in promoting India as a destination for higher education among foreign students. Indian Missions become the first interface for foreign students travelling to India. Sudan is the third largest African country, with a population of over 45 million. India is one of the preferred destinations for Sudanese students travelling abroad for higher studies. Annually about 1500 students travel to India for higher studies, mainly to Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. A study was conducted on students who have completed University education in India to understand the role of Commercial Diplomacy and Indian Missions in promoting India as a destination for higher education. The outcome of the study provides insights into the importance of Commercial Diplomacy and the role of Indian Missions in promoting India as a destination for Higher Education. Outreach events to promote India as a destination for Higher Education and facilitation of Student visas play a major role in students choosing India as a destination for higher education.

Disentangling the interplay of the sense of belonging and institutional channels in individuals' educational trajectories.

Accumulating evidence indicates that students' sense of school belonging has a substantial positive effect on educational attainment. At the same time, life course and life span developmental theories suggest that the benefits of a sense of school belonging could be weakened by the channeling effects of education systems that assign students to distinct educational tracks that lead otherwise similar students to quite different educational destinations. The current study analyzed the extent to which the sense of school belonging predicted educational trajectories in a system that partially channels students into distinct tracks. It assessed educational trajectories as they relate to transitions at two critical junctures of the system-the transition from lower- to upper-secondary education, and from upper-secondary to tertiary (university) education. The study used data from a nationally representative panel survey that followed participants from age 15 to 30 (N = 4,986, 44% male, 12.9% immigrants). Findings indicated that students with a stronger sense of school belonging were more likely to continue in or transition into academic tracks. However, the benefits of students' sense of belonging were bounded by the system's channeling structure. While for students in academic tracks, the sense of school belonging strongly predicted the probability of continuing in academic tracks, it only marginally predicted the probability of moving into academic tracks for those whose educational career began in more vocationally oriented tracks. Hence the sense of school belonging may influence academic trajectories only inasmuch as institutional structures allow it to, because these structures differentially enable and constrain such trajectories. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

POSITIVE IMPACT OF SELF-ASSESSMENT FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The academic aspect plays a vital role as a 'transformative' element in bringing change into the life of each individual. One of the main goals of students continuing their studies abroad is to obtain a high-quality education. The first-year experience is considered an important phase involving self-assimilation, emotional change, cultural shock and social values that can influence the academic achievement of international students. The discussion of this paper elucidates the factors that contribute to the more meaningful first-year experience differences by comparing the process of self-assimilation and academic achievement of international students. In-depth interviews with 40 international students from four Malaysian public universities were conducted using a qualitative method approach that used objective sampling techniques. The findings lead to a self-reflection on the nature of international students, which is expressed through a narrative outpouring of emotions that describe the excitement, desire, and hope. The elements of transformation and self-assimilation of students in this study are interconnected with (i) the reputation of Malaysian public universities as a prestigious educational destination, (ii) the quality of a more comprehensive and 'versatile' higher education system, (iii) the flexibility and dynamics of the academic programs offered, and (iv) contemporary and ‘market driven' academic programs. The empirical data from this study is hoped to be useful information for the university's human resource management, which relies heavily on international student enrolment. This effort is in line with Malaysia's National Strategic Plan for Higher Education or PSPTN, which was created to transform the country into a global hub of higher education excellence.

Higher Education as a Resource for Regional Development: The Case of Krasnodar

One of the main intangible resources, along with regional and local identity, is human capital. Multiplying human capital is one of the main functions of the education system, including higher education. The theoretical framework of the study is defined by the concept of responsible development (I.S. Semenenko), the theories of “triple helix”, “preceding events” (path dependence) of P. David and “track of dependence”. The empirical base is represented by the results of a sociological study, held among students of Krasnodar universities in June 2022. As part of comprehensive analysis, documents of regional authorities and administration, and data from federal and regional statistics were used. The Krasnodar Krai was initially formed and integrated as an agricultural region; thus, the system of higher education focused largely on training specialists for agriculture and related industries. Structural transformations that began in the 1990s changed the region’s vector of development. The rapid progress of the resort and recreational industry, and enterprises of the tertiary sector influenced both intra-regional and inter-regional migration. The universities of the Krasnodar Krai are attractive to educational migrants from other regions of the country - from both the neighbouring Southern Russia regions and the north-eastern regions. At the same time, from the point of view of global competitiveness, the region has systemic problems in the development of human capital, innovation, and space. The authors focus on the educational trajectories of students, the reasons for their choice of Krasnodar as education destination, satisfaction with the quality of educational services, the degree and forms of social activities, as well as further life and professional plans. The authors identified three contradictions in the current state of the region’s higher education system, without the resolution of which it will be impossible to convert human capital into a real factor of regional development. These are the contradictions between the significantly growing population of the region and the reduction in the number of students, between the needs of the labour market of the “knowledge economy” and the structure of specialists’ training, and between the governmental trend for the development of rural areas and the lack of motivation among university graduates to work in rural municipalities. The article formulates several proposals for resolving these contradictions.

Experiential Marketing in Communication of Loyal Foreign Students on Social Networks

Abstract Nowadays, experiential marketing is of great interest to researchers and practitioners. The use of experiential marketing helps to promote brands, because consumers take into account the experience when choosing a particular brand, product, service. Experiential marketing, which involves concepts such as satisfaction and loyalty, can influence the recommendation messages that customers distribute. With the rapid development of social media communication, the amount of recommendation messages in the Internet environment has also increased. This is also very relevant in the field of higher education. It is on social networks that loyal foreign students can share their impressions and experiences with other potential foreign students about Latvian universities and Latvia as a destination for higher education, thus becoming distributors of marketing messages. The aim of the research is to investigate how the experience of foreign students studying at a university in Latvia is reflected in their communication on social networks, and what is its connection with the formation of loyalty. Research methods: survey, descriptive analysis technique crosstabs, T‐Test. The study concludes that foreign message publishers have a higher average level of loyalty to the country of study than those who do not engage in such social network communication, as well as a higher average level of loyalty to their university. The potential of the recommendations in this group is quite high, and it can be used to promote the recognition of the country as an educational destination and its universities.

Perceptions of tourism destination and implications for environmental education: Findings from a student field study on protected area, Indonesia

University students have an essential role in developing ecotourism services and supporting environmental education. The research aims to explore students' perceptions of the object of tourism, group behavior in travel and problems in tourist destinations. Surveys and interviews were conducted on students who conducted a field study in Coban Tengah tourism destination, Indonesia. Students of Undergraduate (S1) and Master’s (S2) programs were interviewed regarding tourism objects, group interactions, and problems found in the tourism site. Descriptive analysis and chi-square statistics were carried out to meet research objectives. The results revealed that students show a positive and significant perception of the beauty of Coban Tengah waterfall. S1 students indicated the halo effect phenomenon in perceiving tourism objects regarding beauty, educational element, and trekking paths. Grouping in tourist travel provides benefits to protect or keep safety and serves as a place to discuss environmental conservation. S2 students are less interested in forming groups because they have more experience and independence in travel than S1 student. Groups build cooperation and empathy, and these can provide innovation for quality provision of tourism services.JEL Classification I28; Q26; Q58

International students’ university choice to study abroad in higher education and influencing factors analysis

With the development of China's higher education, China has become increasingly popular as an education destination for international students. To explore the rationale and the influencing factors for them to attend Chinese universities, this research adopted a questionnaire survey and interviews with international students from a top university in China. The data were analyzed from four aspects: home countries' push factors, China's pull factors, university attractiveness factors and personal choice factors. The findings show that university attractiveness factors are more significant than the China's pull factors and the home countries push factors; China's pull factors have significant influence on the university attractiveness factors; For students from different regions, the factors of China's pull, home country's push and university attractiveness play significantly different role in affecting their choice of university, with Asian students much more affected than those from other parts of the world. Besides, individual subjective norms and individual value choices also affect students' choices to study abroad.

ANALYSIS OF ART CULTURE POTENTIAL AND TOURISM VILLAGE DEVELOPMENT IN GEGESIK KULON VILLAGE, CIREBON REGENCY

Gegesik Kulon tourism village, Cirebon Regency, West Java, is included in the list of 50 the 2021 Indonesian Tourism Village Award (ADWI) event. The village focuses on Tourism development as one of the efforts to revive the economy They are in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Gegesik Kulon tourist village is known to have many potential and the community is still very much preserving the arts and culture. Where the majority of the villagers there work as farmers. Others work as artists and entrepreneurs. In the village that is usually called the Artist's Village many used artistic and cultural heritage so that it is very suitable as a tourist destination for arts and culture education. They are guided by 5 branches art which is also offered as a tourist attraction in Gegesik Kulon Village. Start of fine arts in the form of wood carving, wayang puppets, mask carving, drum crafts, and so on glass painting. This research activity is a field study by conducting observations and interviews on the Potential of Cultural Arts and Tourism Village Development in Gegesik Kulon Village, Cirebon Regency. Where this Gegesik Village holds a lot of tourism potential which during this pandemic can also be used in the future as a work area for the surrounding community. However, the limited presentation of information to tourists makes some local cultural tourism sectors untouched by tourists. Therefore, a mapping of superior cultural tourism objects is made to be implemented into a system that can provide information in the form of locations and descriptions for these cultural attractions.

Regulating Private Higher Education Quality in the UAE to Become an Educational Destination: Federal, Provincial, and Institutional Interests

This policy paper examines how private higher education is regulated in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with particular attention to whether branch campuses can and should seek national or international accreditations. Drawing on interview-based fieldwork in three provinces in the UAE, it identifies contrasting visions for the role of the private sector in the country. These conflicting visions create numerous challenges for the stakeholders involved, including private universities, who must balance multiple goals of regulators, shareholders, and students. The policy paper suggests that, as the UAE increasingly positions itself as an educational destination, meeting students’ diverse goals for their education needs to be a key consideration in policy reform.

Impact of Academic and Non-Academic Service Quality on International Students Satisfaction in Chinese Universities

Satisfied students are easy to retain and perform better in academics. That consequently affects higher educational institutions’ success and reputation. To become a top higher educational institution, every institution tries to provide the best academic facilities and services to its students. However, non-academic services are not given equal importance in academic settings, which could significantly determine students’ satisfaction. Therefore, this paper aims to examine the impact of academic and non-academic service quality on international student satisfaction in China. This study followed a deductive approach and is carried out in a non-contrived setting. The convenience sampling technique was used in the study for data collection. A total of 143 responses from the international students is received through an online survey. Descriptive and Structured Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis techniques were performed for analyzing the variables. The results indicate that both academic and non-academic service quality equally contributes to student satisfaction. The findings of this study reveal that non-academic services aspects are as important as academic services when it comes to affecting student satisfaction. This study highlights the significance of different service quality dimensions for student satisfaction which is sometimes not given equal importance in the educational environment. The trend of the internationalization of education in China is increasing rapidly. The higher educational institutions in China need to acknowledge different aspects of students’ satisfaction to become a top higher-level educational destination for international students.

Adaptation Strategy to Speak Sundanese as Intercultural Communication In Padjadjaran University

Intercultural communication often occurs in student life. The diverse campus consists of multi-ethnic students. One of them is the existence of Padjadjaran University which is a campus thick with its motherhood and is an educational destination for students outside Bandung. The purpose of this study was to find out how non-Sundanese students adapted and used what strategies to speak Sundanese with Sundanese students at Padjadjaran University. The theory used for this study is the accommodation communication toeri. this research method is qualitative. This study used Communication Accommodation Theory (CAT). The subjects of this study were three students from Padjadjaran University and the object of the study was what strategy they used to speak Sundanese as intercultural communication. The data collection technique of this study used semi-structured in-depth interviews. The results of this study showed that the three students used convergence strategies in intercultural communication. This strategy emphasizes speakers to follow the local language because they feel they have something in common with the Sundanese identity, are willing to use the Sundanese language and learn to use their accents and tones, and have the same motivation, namely using the Sundanese language to adapt to the local culture.

International medical students’ perspectives on factors affecting their academic success in China: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe number of international students who choose China as their destination for quality medical education is rising, particularly those from developing countries, but little is known about their adaptation and educational experiences at Chinese universities. This study explored the factors that these students perceived to have influenced their academic success.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with international students (N = 40) from developing countries from September 2020 to January 2021. Participants were graduates or in their second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth academic year in two university medical schools. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.ResultsThe participants chose China to study medicine based on cost, teaching resources, quality of medical education, recommendation, and safety factors. They considered an increase in medical knowledge, clinical skills and communication skills as an indicator of academic success. Positive factors affecting academic success were the support system (family, friends, seniors) and campus resources (library, laboratories, extra-curricular activities, scholarship). Negative factors were (i) issues affecting learning (English language barrier), adjusting to the medical education system in China, learning difficulties, failing exams, internship difficulties, problems with online learning during the pandemic, (ii) sociocultural issues (lacking knowledge of the Chinese language, challenges in daily life, perceived discrimination, interpersonal relationships), (iii) wellbeing issues (physical and mental health issues), and (iv) other challenges (climate, food, finance, scholarship). The influence of teachers, administrators and classmates was perceived as both positive and negative.ConclusionsFactors affecting the academic success of international medical students at Chinese universities are multi-faceted. It is the collective responsibility of the host society, universities, teachers, administrators, classmates, families, and students themselves to address these factors in order to support and help students achieve academic success. Findings in our study support recommendations to improve teachers’ English language skills and pedagogy and to invest in administrators’ professional development. They also suggest that greater awareness of students’ sociocultural and mental challenges and optimizing the positive influence of classmates could strengthen student support and better address student academic difficulties. The English proficiency and prior academic performance of international students should be considered during recruitment. Given the rapid growth in international MBBS programs in China, further research on the experiences of international students in China’s medical programs is needed.

Developing Pesantren Education Quality thorugh Radicalism Prevention Program for Santri

Pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) institutions in the current era are chosen for education destinations for the Muslim community to foster the quality of Islamic education, especially in countering ideas of religious radicalism. In this context, pesantren role in preventing radicalism are considered important to investigate. The present study investigates the education program carried out by pesantren in preventing radicalism. It was conducted at the Miftahul Huda Islamic Boarding School, Citangkolo, Banjar City. It applied qualitative approach using descriptive method. The data were collected using observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation. The results showed that the pesantren designs and delivers education using several dimensions including intellectual, skills, and character education. These three educational dimensions are implemented in classroom learning using various models, approaches, and learning strategies. For character building, education is supported by hidden curriculum. The curriculum is carried out in student activities according to the rules that is applied at pesantren. In pesantren, Kiai serves as a role model in education to boost all education program to develop santri character. Those education programs are used to prevent santri from radicalism in pesantren.

An Assessment of Market Dependency Risk in the International Student Industry

Literature suggests that the international student industry faces increasing risk, given the substantial dependence on a few source countries. Inbound international student mobility (ISM) data of leading higher education (HE) destination countries were examined, with China and India as the source countries. This study classifies Australia, Canada, and the USA as host countries with a high international student source country dependency risk; the UK as a host country with a moderate dependency risk. By exploring the issue from a dependency risk mitigation perspective, this study identifies an elaborate two-step market diversification approach involving international market selection and marketing strategy.

Understanding the complexity of children’s everyday mobilities: non-instrumental aspects in sustainable transport and planning policy making in Australia

ABSTRACT There is a growing body of research recognising the complexity surrounding children’s mobilities influenced by multifaceted and relational factors. This is critical in the provision of an evidence base to better inform transport policies aimed at reducing private car usage in countries such as Australia where the private car dominates the everyday mobilities of families with school-aged children.This paper draws on quantitative and qualitative survey data from 296 children aged 9 to 18 and 84 parents living in Melbourne and Adelaide, Australia and investigates children’s travel behaviour for accessing their daily educational destinations (both school and extra-curricular activities). The paper utilises concepts such as “transport rationales” and “household elasticity” with an aim to determine the non-instrumental and relational configurations in children’s mobility. The findings reveal that children’s everyday mobilities and the decision-making behind the significant use of cars to transport children in Australia are highly complex and are based on more than instrumental reasons such as affect, care and comfort. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of Australian policies to address the high level of private car usage to transport children to their daily destinations.

Transperipheral Educational Mobility: Less Privileged South Korean Young Adults Pursuing English Language Study in a Peripheral City in the Philippines

Abstract The pursuit of overseas English language education by South Korean youth has resulted in a hierarchy of educational destinations, with migrants studying English in the Global North attaining higher cultural capital compared to those learning English in the Global South. This article examines the experiences of South Korean youth who pursue education in English language schools in the provincial Philippines. Using in-depth interviews and participant observation with South Korean educational migrants in the Philippines and South Korea, it outlines class and regional dynamics in a pattern of youth mobility the author calls “transperipheral educational mobility.” This type of mobility refers to the transnational movement of less-privileged, that is low-resourced, South Korean youth from peripheral regions in South Korea to peripheral cities in the Philippines for the purpose of pursuing English language education in a budget program. Despite being considered “less legitimate” than the credentials earned by their counterparts in destinations in the Global North, the pursuit of English language education in the Global South, as this article shows, provides forms of precultural capital, compensatory middle-class consumption, and entrepreneurial inspiration that strategically and creatively seeks to challenge working-class migrants’ marginal positions within South Korea's highly stratified and increasingly neoliberal society.

At Which Age is Education the Great Equalizer? A Causal Mediation Analysis of the (In-)Direct Effects of Social Origin over the Life Course

Abstract The mechanisms linking parental resources to their children’s opportunities are of fundamental interest to sociologists. This study is the first to provide a dynamic life course assessment of the origin–education–destination triangle using causal mediation analysis. While the age-as-equalizer hypothesis suggests that for the highly educated, direct effects of social origin are high at young ages and decrease over the life course, the age-as-stratifier hypothesis suggests that for individuals with low educational attainment, direct effects of social origin are low at young ages and increase over the life course. Findings using panel data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study are largely consistent with these hypotheses for various measures of social origin and social destination. Overall, this study demonstrates how causal mediation analysis provides precise effect definitions that allow scholars to assess mechanisms when status transmission processes depend on educational attainment.

Can I Teach Abroad? Motivations and Decision-Making Processes of Teachers to the International Locations

Over the past few decades, South Korea has become a popular education and teaching destination for native English teachers, international school teachers, and university lecturers. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the requirements, offshore teachers need to complete the self-funded quarantine before they can join the workforce in South Korea. This study aims to understand the motivations, career decisions, and decision-making processes of a group of native English teachers who decided to come to South Korea to develop their English language teaching career, particularly those who came during the COVID-19 pandemic. The phenomenological approach with interview session, focus group activity, and member checking interview were employed. Based on the social cognitive career and motivation theory and qualitative data from 38 participants, three themes were categorized: special life pathways, easy employment, and attractive cultural environment. The results of this study may provide some recommendations to school leaders, employers, and policymakers for native English teachers who would like to provide teaching services in their countries. As the COVID-19 pandemic and traveling restrictions will eventually eliminate, the human resources management and school leaders should continue to reform and improve the management to meet the needs of the long-term human resources shortage.

Choosing a Higher Education destination: Marketing of where, why and how?

ABSTRACT This study attempts to contribute to marketing services in higher education literature through the relationship between international students’ satisfaction with educational experiences and the necessary adjustments by institutions to augment their services. It also aims to make theoretical contributions by understanding the international students’ satisfaction criteria for university selection and enrolment. The findings of the study offer administrative implications for universities as well, regarding how they could appeal to international students by emphasizing components of institutional branding via online and offline marketing communication tools. Quantitative methodology was employed and data was collected through a survey. Sampling strategy was voluntary participation and 197 international students replied to the survey. Findings indicate that international students use personal contacts and social relations in finding international higher education institutions. Further, international students care about the campus culture (safe or not), the physical infrastructure of the university and library resources provided to students.

The image of Moscow as an educational destination for Vietnamese tourists: Research approaches, problems and prospects

The image of Moscow as an educational destination for Vietnamese tourists: Research approaches, problems and prospects